> Actually I think most canals are deeper and better than they have for > quite a few years, and with our "standard" holiday boat have not had > any depth problems. The Jam Olers last year didn't complain about the > North Oxford so I guess that is not as bad as you think. > > However, I'm not saying that work isn't needed in many spots where > depth near the bank can be quite poor.
Yeah i would say the same. - Im only twenty myself, so although ive been boating all remebering life, i cant comment on what the canal was like 25/30years ago. However 10 years ago when we 'went on grandfathers boat' for the weekend or half term i remember far more pushing and poleing and running aground than i seam to get now when i take her out. Boats are getting deeper, with 15/16 tonne being common for a 58ft'er where 8/10 was more the norm. (emilyanne draws about 2ft9ish at 22tonne) - Ive only ever heard the llagollen called the '2ft waterway' as a comment about its state in years gone by, and certianly we get up it fine. We where on the thames last year too, and came back up on the oxford without too much hassle. - Its is narrower than some, and it was mighty busy with everyone leaving the iwa national behind us and wanting to overtake. - But as long as we kept our left-side in the center of the waterway when passing we tended to be ok or able to reverse of with little affort. Did the caldon/mac canals this year, and there where ok too. The worse kept section to my mind being the nine rochdale locks onto the bridgewater where the locks all needed a good oil if nothing else! There are quite a number of new/refurbed modern brickbuild shower/loo blocks too, such as thoese at Eturia and Anderton. And the old black and white tiny elsan/loo blocks being very much the minoraty. (the ones we used on the mac being the worse ive seen since willington three years ago) We dont use the gang plank nearly as often either, only when we stop at places that look unlikly to start off with do we usally find it nessarary. I think i only got used twice this year. Once on the mac where we where forced to stop with very short notice after an funnel- related altercation with a bridge! Hohumm! Cant please all of the people all of the time i guess. Daniel
